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Winemaker's Notes:

Grapes were picked by block, and clusters were gently destemmed. We used a mix of open-top tanks with manual punching-down of the cap, and closed-top tanks where the must was pumped over. The closed-top tanks added to palate texture, while the open-top tanks helped to retain fruit intensity. The finished wine, composed almost entirely of free-run juice, was racked to 46 percent new French oak barrels and underwent native malolactic fermentation. Each block was fermented and aged separately for 10 months before blending, with barrel aging for a total of 18 months.

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Since 1982, Stuhlmuller Vineyards has built a reputation as growers of world-class grapes, selling their coveted fruit to a number of top area wineries. By the mid-‘90s, Fritz Stuhlmuller was so inspired by the complex wines being made from his family’s vineyard that he established a small, artisan winery bearing the Stuhlmuller name. The vineyard’s unique terroir creates C... Read more

Since 1982, Stuhlmuller Vineyards has built a reputation as growers of world-class grapes, selling their coveted fruit to a number of top area wineries. By the mid-‘90s, Fritz Stuhlmuller was so inspired by the complex wines being made from his family’s vineyard that he established a small, artisan winery bearing the Stuhlmuller name. The vineyard’s unique terroir creates Chardonnay fruit with classic Alexander Valley tropical characteristics, food-friendly citrus acidity and a distinctive mineral touch. The Cabernet Sauvignon offers enticing hints of sage and bay leaf coupled with the region's signature flavors of rich cherry, black fruit and cocoa. In 2000 Stuhlmuller Vineyards built a new winery on the property, sized precisely to handle the small amounts of world-class, estate fruit the Stuhlmullers select to create their wines. Guided by gifted winemaker Leo Hansen (and consulting winemaker Kerry Damskey), Stuhlmuller Vineyards handcrafts, small-lot wines that embody a rich, expressive charm, and a distinctive sense of place. Read less

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Editorial Reviews for Stuhlmuller Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Immediately I am interested in the aromatic complexity this wine volunteers with rosemary, bay laurel, and ivy top notes that float above the crisp, slightly astringent black berry fruit all wrapped in damp maduro, cigar wrapper tobacco, slightly smoky vanilla oak, and asphalt. On the palate this is very young but shows a nice, ripe, round, creamy mouthfeel that manages to reveal nuanced black currant fruit in spades with gentle backing notes of dried herbs, cedary spice and a hint of black pepper. The finish shows more structure and obvious oak but retains fine balance and excellent length. This should benefit from a year or two I the cellar but will be best enjoyed in its relative youth. 91pts

Rating: 85/100 - As reviewed by Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine (www.cgcw.com) in the August 2010 issue. More than a bit idiosyncratic and never in the classic Cabernet fold, this bottling smacks of sweet smoke, green tea and berry-like fruit and shows a streak of stiff acidity beneath its nominal flesh. It gets a bit tangy and dries up at the finish, and, it will need a turn of good fortune if it is to open and unfold down the line.Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine aging recommendation: Drinkable now. Further bottle aging can improve this wine.

Grapes were picked by block, and clusters were gently destemmed. We used a mix of open-top tanks with manual punching-down of the cap, and closed-top tanks where the must was pumped over. The closed-top tanks added to palate texture, while the open-top tanks helped to retain fruit intensity. The finished wine, composed almost entirely of free-run juice, was racked to 46 percent new French oak barrels and underwent native malolactic fermentation. Each block was fermented and aged separately for 10 months before blending, with barrel aging for a total of 18 months.